Tag Archives: Plagues

14 Nisan coming closer we look at the people liberated from enslavement by the ancient Egyptians but also for the liberation of Jews and goims or gentiles.

Crossing of the red sea (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The people of God got freedom after they had witnesses several plagues coming over Egypt. The land was on the verge of going in a disastrous killing situation. You would think after having seen all the remarkable plagues, the wonder of crossing the Red Sea, they would fully trust the Most HighElohim יהוה {Jehovah}. they were guided and could find themselves camping beside Mount Sinai witnessing the earth quaking, the clouds, the fire and the voice from the mountain! After that, the miraculous provision of manna, quails, and water from the rock could still not bring many to go for the worshipping of the Only OneTrue God and letting them still having doubts about so many matters. It fortuned, the first day of the eleventh month in the fortieth year, that Moses spoke unto the children of Israel according unto all that the Divine Creator had given him in commandment unto them. God telling them that they had dwelt long enough in this mount and therefore could depart and take their journey going unto the hills of the Amorites and unto all places nigh thereunto, both fields, hills and dales: and unto the south and unto the sea’s side in the land of Canaan, and unto Lebanon: even unto the great river Euphrates.

Deu 1:3-4 The Scriptures 1998+ (3) And it came to be in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Mosheh spoke to the children of Yisra’ĕl according to all that יהוה {Jehovah} had commanded him concerning them, (4) after he had smitten Siḥon sovereign of the Amorites, who dwelt in Ḥeshbon, and Oḡ sovereign of Bashan, who dwelt at Ashtaroth in Eḏreʽi.

They had to know and to believe that God had set them the land before them and that no matter what would happen they should trust God going in to possess the land which Jehovah swore unto their fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give unto them and their seed after them.

Deu 1:8 The Scriptures 1998+ (8) ‘See, I have set the land before you. Go in and possess the land which יהוה {Jehovah} swore to your fathers, to Aḇraham, to Yitsḥaq, and to Yaʽaqoḇ, to give to them and their seed after them.’

Instead of trust we see that the Israelites have so much fear that they doubt that the road would be safe for them.

“Destruction of the Army of the Amorites” by Gustave Doré. Jos 10:11 … the Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones and than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Deu 1:20-40 The Scriptures 1998+ (20) “And I said to you, ‘You have come to the mountains of the Amorites, which יהוה {Jehovah} our Elohim is giving us. (21) ‘See, יהוה {Jehovah} your Elohim has set the land before you. Go up and possess it, as יהוה {Jehovah} Elohim of your fathers has spoken to you. Do not fear, nor be discouraged.’ (22) “And all of you came near to me and said, ‘Let us send men before us, and let them search out the land for us, and bring back word to us of the way by which we should go up, and of the cities into which we would come.’ (23) “And the matter was good in my eyes, so I took twelve of your men, one man from each tribe. (24) “And they turned and went up into the mountains, and came to the wadi Eshkol, and spied it out. (25) “And they took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us. And they brought back word to us, saying, ‘The land which יהוה {Jehovah} our Elohim is giving us is good.’ (26) “But you would not go up and rebelled against the mouth of יהוה {Jehovah} your Elohim, (27) and grumbled in your tents, and said, ‘Because יהוה {Jehovah} was hating us, He has brought us out of the land of Mitsrayim to give us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. (28) ‘Where are we going to? Our brothers have made our hearts melt, saying, “The people are greater and taller than we, the cities are great and walled up to the heavens, and we saw the sons of the Anaqim there too.” ’ (29) “Then I said to you, ‘Have no dread or fear of them. (30) ‘יהוה {Jehovah} your Elohim, who is going before you, He does fight for you, according to all He did for you in Mitsrayim before your eyes, (31) and in the wilderness, where you saw how יהוה {Jehovah} your Elohim has borne you, as a man bears his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.’ (32) “Yet in this matter you are putting no trust in יהוה {Jehovah} your Elohim, (33) who is going before you in the way to seek out a place for you to pitch your tents, to show you the way you should go, in fire by night and in a cloud by day. (34) “And יהוה {Jehovah} heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and took an oath, saying, (35) ‘Not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land of which I swore to give to your fathers, (36) except Kalĕb son of Yephunneh. He shall see it, and to him and his children I give the land on which he walked, because he followed יהוה {Jehovah} completely.’ (37) “And יהוה {Jehovah} was enraged with me for your sakes, saying, ‘You do not go in there, either. (38) ‘Yehoshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall go in there. Strengthen him, for he shall cause Yisra’ĕl to inherit. (39) ‘And your little ones and your children, who you say are for a prey, who today have no knowledge of good and evil, they are going in there. And to them I give it, and they are to possess it. (40) ‘But you, turn and take your journey into the wilderness by the Way of the Sea of Reeds.’

We see that it were the Israelites who requested a look-see at what was ahead. God had made it possible for His people to go away from slavery and to go to a new land which they could call their own. Though now we see that their mind was not yet open enough for the mind of God and not trusting enough in the capabilities of the Most HighSovereign. Instead of believing God they once more doubted the possibilities laid in front of them. God had led them with a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire. He had gotten them through the Red Sea in a most spectacular way. He had fed them with manna and quails and had provided them with water from a rock. Still they were not yet convinced of the Mighty Power of God. No wonder we can see how difficult it is for people today who cannot see those wonders of the Most High.

We do agree that it must not have been easy to walk day in day out for 40 years, but they knew it was their own fault. After all the walking and time enough for meditation you would think they would now have come to the faith and belief everything God promised them. Though still they were not all convinced and many let them be carried away by those who did not believe. The ones who continued to carry their fear, showing lack of trust and discontent, infected the others.

Fear had to be counter-balanced with trust and believing. God let them send spies, like they requested, and the results of their thinking and readiness was exposed.

Num 13:1-3 The Scriptures 1998+ (1) And יהוה {Jehovah} spoke to Mosheh, saying, (2) “Send men to spy out the land of Kenaʽan, which I am giving to the children of Yisra’ĕl. Send one man from each tribe of their fathers, every one a leader among them.” (3) And by the command of יהוה {Jehovah} Mosheh sent them from the Wilderness of Paran, all of them men who were heads of the children of Yisra’ĕl.

Num 13:30-33 The Scriptures 1998+ (30) And Kalĕb silenced the people before Mosheh, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are certainly able to overcome it.” (31) But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” (32) And they gave the children of Yisra’ĕl an evil report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land eating up its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great size. (33) “And we saw there the Nephilim, sons of Anaq, of the Nephilim. And we were like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and so we were in their eyes.”

Again the Israelites thought the others were stronger than they and did not believe God would be helping them to conquer them. Afraid of those who looked like giants, the children of Anak which are of the giants. And they seemed in their sight as it were grasshoppers. Although 10 of the 12 spies sent to explore the land had come back, found and said the land was flowing with milk and honey they had such a negative frame of mind.

The encouragement of two of the 12 could not convince the group to go out because the fear of the other ten spies and their influence on the Israelites was bigger. Again the people of God found themselves on the edge of the abyss it seemed. Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the people of Israel. Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes and said to all the congregation of the people of Israel that the land, which they passed through to spy it out, was an exceedingly good land. But this could not help against the rebellion.
They kept fearing the people of the land who lost protection from them God being with the Israelites who as such had nothing to fear.

Num 14:10-38 The Scriptures 1998+ (10) But all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Then the esteem of יהוה {Jehovah} appeared in the Tent of Meeting before all the children of Yisra’ĕl. (11) And יהוה {Jehovah} said to Mosheh, “How long shall I be scorned by these people? And how long shall I not be trusted by them, with all the signs which I have done in their midst? (12) “Let Me smite them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.” (13) And Mosheh said to יהוה {Jehovah}, “Then the Mitsrites shall hear it, for by Your power You brought these people up from their midst, (14) and they shall say to the inhabitants of this land they have heard that You, יהוה {Jehovah}, are in the midst of these people, that You, יהוה {Jehovah}, are seen eye to eye and that Your cloud stands above them, and You go before them in a column of cloud by day and in a column of fire by night. (15) “Now if You shall kill these people as one man, then the nations which have heard of Your report shall speak, saying, (16) ‘Because יהוה {Jehovah} was not able to bring this people to the land which He swore to give them, therefore He killed them in the wilderness.’ (17) “And now, I pray, let the power of יהוה {Jehovah} be great, as You have spoken, saying, (18) ‘יהוה {Jehovah} is patient and of great kindness, forgiving crookedness and transgression, but by no means leaving unpunished1; visiting the crookedness of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.’ Footnote: 1This is confirmed in Ex. 34:7 and in Jer. 30:11. (19) “Please forgive the crookedness of this people, according to the greatness of Your kindness, as You have forgiven this people, from Mitsrayim even until now.” (20) And יהוה {Jehovah} said, “I shall forgive, according to your word, (21) but truly, as I live and all the earth is filled with the esteem of יהוה {Jehovah}, (22) for none of these men who have seen My esteem and the signs which I did in Mitsrayim and in the wilderness, and have tried Me now these ten times, and have disobeyed My voice, (23) shall see the land of which I swore to their fathers, nor any of those who scorned Me see it. (24) “But My servant Kalĕb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me completely, I shall bring into the land where he went, and his seed shall inherit it. (25) “Since the Amalĕqites and the Kenaʽanites are dwelling in the valley, turn back tomorrow and set out into the wilderness by the Way of the Sea of Reeds.” (26) And יהוה {Jehovah} spoke to Mosheh, and to Aharon, saying, (27) “How long shall this evil congregation have this grumbling against Me? I have heard the grumblings which the children of Yisra’ĕl are grumbling against Me. (28) “Say to them, ‘As I live,’ declares יהוה {Jehovah}, ‘as you have spoken in My hearing, so I do to you: (29) ‘The carcasses of you who have grumbled against Me are going to fall in this wilderness, all of you who were registered, according to your entire number, from twenty years old and above. (30) ‘None of you except Kalĕḇ son of Yephunneh, and Yehoshua son of Nun, shall enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in. (31) ‘But your little ones, whom you said would become a prey, I shall bring in, and they shall know the land which you have rejected. (32) ‘But as for you, your carcasses are going to fall in this wilderness. (33) ‘And your sons shall be wanderers in the wilderness forty years, and shall bear your whorings, until your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness. (34) ‘According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days – a day for a year, a day for a year – you are to bear your crookednesses forty years, and you shall know My breaking off. (35) ‘I am יהוה {Jehovah}, I have spoken, I shall do this to all this evil congregation who are meeting against Me: In this wilderness they are consumed, and there they die.’ ” (36) And the men whom Mosheh sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation grumble against him by bringing an evil report of the land, (37) even those men who brought the evil report about the land, died by the plague before יהוה {Jehovah}. (38) Of those men who went to spy out the land, only Yehoshua son of Nun, and Kalĕḇ son of Yephunneh remained alive.

Their hesitation and disbelief did not help them to go further instead, this time, it angered God. Their fear caused them to wander and procrastinate and eventually kept them from what God wanted for them. They did it to themselves.

We should take such story as a lesson also for us. How much do we want to trust God? How much do we follow the path God has laid in front of us?

Caleb, the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, later could tell he was forty years old when Moses the servant of Jehovah sent him from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land. Though he brought Moses word again as it was in his heart, his brothers who went up with him made the heart of the people melt. Because Caleb kept faithful to God, fully following Jehovah his God, Jehovah has kept him alive these forty-five years as He said, even since Jehovah spoke this word to Moses, while Israel wandered in the wilderness. This made Caleb being able to become eighty-five years whilst others had died already.

Jos 14:6-10 The Scriptures 1998+ (6) And the children of Yehuḏah came to Yehoshua in Gilgal, and Kalĕb son of Yephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know the word which יהוה {Jehovah} said to Mosheh the man of Elohim concerning you and me in Qad??sh Barn?a. (7) “I was forty years old when Mosheh the servant of יהוה {Jehovah} sent me from Qaḏĕsh Barnĕa to spy out the land, and I brought back word to him as it was in my heart. (8) “But my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I followed יהוה {Jehovah} my Elohim completely. (9) “So Mosheh swore on that day, saying, ‘The land on which your foot has trodden is your inheritance and your children’s forever, because you have followed יהוה {Jehovah} my Elohim completely.’ (10) “And now, see, יהוה {Jehovah} has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years since יהוה {Jehovah} spoke this word to Mosheh while Yisra’ĕl walked in the wilderness. And now, see, I am eighty-five years old today.

The People of God who had received many proofs that God was with them still were not trusting God enough. Like for them you can say the edge of believing is always in front of us. From the fall onwards man got fear. Suddenly they were afraid to being naked and been seen by others. From then onwards fear stayed with man as a natural human emotion.

We should now that above fear there is the security of knowing. There is wisdom and healthy respect which shall be to our are benefit. Though we should be well aware that the danger is always looking around the corner. The adversaryof God is always standing ready to bring us in doubt and to give us fear. This fear can shut us down when we don’t take it to God. We should be so convinced that we do not have to fear God by coming to Him with our doubts and questions. With all what we have in Scriptures we should know that we can trust Him. Jehovah is absolutely approachable with honest prayer and provides several means of reassurance. He also has given His only begotten son to be a mediatorbetween God and man. In him too we should trust, that he can talk in our name with his heavenly Father and be our guide in distress.

Learning to Stand Still (christianmotivations.weebly.com)
If the Israelites had attempted to cross the Red Sea before it parted, they would have drowned. If they had fled north to try to avoid the Egyptians, God would not have moved in a miraculous way. God cannot work on our behalf if we continually try to solve our problem when He has instructed us to stand still. Standing still is sometimes the greatest action we can do, although it is the most difficult thing to do in the Christian walk.

23.5 Moses 23, Day 5 (thenotesaregood.com)
Unlike the King of Moab who rallied his troops in a defensive position to protect their land from their fear of trespassing Jews, Sihon brought out his army to attack – to vainly oppose both the people of God and God Himself.

A Little Man Attacking God (between2citiesblog.wordpress.com)
The Israelites were running for their lives from the Egyptians who were led by the most powerful human king in all the ancient middle east (Pharoah). He was not only perceived to be the most powerful king, but was actually thought to be a god. SO when the people of Israel saw their God opening up the waters for them to pass, and then the Pharaoh chasing them down, this would have looked a lot like the battle of the gods. But, instead of feeling like audience members at a WWE pay-per-view, the Israelites were terrified.

On 24 October 2014, the web site World News Daily Report (WNDR) published an article claiming that chariot wheels and the bones of horses and men had been discovered at the bottom of the Red Sea, thereby supposedly proving archaeological proof of the Biblical narrative about the escape of the Israelites from the Egyptians. (According to the Book of Exodus, God parted the Red Sea long enough for the Moses-led Israelites to walk across it on dry ground, but closed the waters up again upon the pursuing Egyptian army and drowned them all.)

Exodus 19:10-11 – And the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. (church4u2.wordpress.com)
There is a great need in this season for God’s people to be come into renewal and effectiveness in their faith. The Bible tells us that renewal comes when we are consecrated, or set apart, for the LORD. There is a season to be relevant to the culture around us, and there is a season to stand out. Church history tells us that setting ourselves apart for prayer and self denial can bring us into renewal.

Scripture for when you need a promise (notconsumed.com)
I’m much like those Israelites…clinging to the slavery of what is known (no matter what the cost) and forgetting the promises of my loving and merciful Savior. In the waves of the storm, I can’t see all that God has promised and I long for what was before.

God Called Moses The Exodus Story Continues (Part 4 Of 5) (vineandbranchworldministries.com)Moses stretched out his hand to the skies. Thick darkness descended on the land of Egypt for three days. Nobody could see anybody. For three days no one could so much as move. Except for the Israelites; they had light where they were living.

Kee Teesa: Aaron as Substitute Teacher (blogs.timesofisrael.com)
Why did the Israelites build the Golden Calf? Barely three months had passed since God freed Israel from slavery, in the course of which they beheld the most extraordinary miracles and wonders: the Ten Plagues, the Splitting of the Reed Sea, and now the thunderous, magnificent descent of God onto Mt. Sinai, certainly not the most awesome of mountains.

Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh: An Allegory of the Dinteville Family, oil on wood painting by the Master of the Dinteville Family, mid 16th century, Metropolitan Museum of Art (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In preparation for the most high day of the year, celebrating two big liberations we can prepare our children with stories which relate to modern times, our slavery, our often forgetting God’s Paths, giving us also opportunities to take away the annoying time of waiting, but also remembering why waiting is sometimes worthwhile and in this case our waiting shall be sanctified.

Pharaoh, like we, had to know it were not Moses and Aaron who had managed to turn the water in Egypt to blood, bring millions of frogs into the cities and fields, create an infestation of lice, and destroy the spring crops with balls of flaming hail. It was the Work of the Most HighElohimHashemJehovah. By strength of hand Jehovah the 10 plagues came over Egypt. The sanctify of the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of animal is God’s. And when they had to go forth in the month Abib it was Jehovah the God of the People of Israel Who was to bring them into the land of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, which He swore to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey, that they shall keep this service in this month. and we still can look forward into what is coming into reality, God’s Land made for His people. A blessed hope.

Exodus 5:4-5 – But the king of Egypt said, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor? (church4u2.wordpress.com)
There has always been a pattern of God calling his people out of their normal rhythms to take time to worship Him. Even in this famous story of when Moses confronted the Pharaoh of Egypt, the main thing that God wanted was for his people to cease from their labor, come aside and worship Him. This pattern offends those who see work as a way toward power. Work is a good thing, but the Sabbath is a weekly reminder that God wants to deliver us from our false identities of power and bring us back to Himself.

The Sixth Plague: Boils (rough) (ninapaley.com)
And they took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven; and it became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast.

Fast from Complaining (robertsmusings.com)
In the 17th chapter of Exodus, the people quarrel with Moses and test the LORD, complaining that Moses has led them out of Egypt and into the desert to die of thirst. Modern advertising takes advantage of human thirst for things that might provide salvation. Rarely will an ad show the benefits of a particular product over its competitors. Instead advertisements portray a lifestyle we might seek imply that if we buy their product, we will have the lifestyle we seek.

23.5 Moses 23, Day 5 (thenotesaregood.com)
For God to bring them across the Jordan river into the Promised Land, they would have to travel this country. And, like Sihon, Og king of Bashan marched out to meet them.

To Soar In The Spirit You Have To Be Hard Core (theinscribedheart.com)
The carnal man represents the man who was born from a carnal birth and was shaped by worldly orientation through being subject to the influences of a deceived and wicked world. The carnal man will be merciful to carnal living and would rather comprise with the enemies of the soul rather than destroy them. He is double minded, trying to serve the flesh and live spiritual at the same time.

Choose Positivity (matheusyuhlung.wordpress.com)
The world is full of negativity. I’m sure you’ve experienced your share as well. Amidst the lies that exaggerates fear, it is very much essential to trust on the God whose name is Jehovah El Elohim; which means The LORD God of Gods, the LORD, mighty, powerful, strong One over all.

Those People Will Turn Your Children Away From Me: (dailydevotionswithdawn.wordpress.com)
We are to purge the things in our life that would cause us to turn from God. Jesus even said that if our hand offended us, to cut it off. (I think he was speaking figuratively?)

If we obey God, and stay close to Him, we are blessed:

Reflective Moment ‘Establishing Testimony’ (mylordmyfriend.com)
Jethro had heard the story how God had bought them out of slavery. He had heard the story of redemption. He heard the story of the wonderful and victorious power of The Lord. Moses told Jethro all the Lord had done to Pharaoh and Pharaoh’s people to make Pharaoh, let them go. Moses told his father-in-law about all the hardships and troubles that had come on them along the way, but the Lord had delivered them.

A wonderful story, to get into, but this is only a reflective moment. When our family and in-laws here what, Our Lord, Our Redeemer and Our Friend, has done and is doing for us, are they wanting to come around.

Moses life and calling, was a testimony to His God, and people wanted to here. Our lives and our callings, should also be a testimony for what Our Lord, Our redeemer and our Friend is doing in our lives.

Resources of help (helpfulinspirationalblog.wordpress.com)
Moses made excuses because he felt inadequate for the job God asked him to do. It was natural for him to feel that way. He was inadequate all by himself. But God wasn’t asking Moses to work alone. He offered other resources to help (God himself, Aaron, and the ability to do miracles). God often calls us to do tasks that seem too difficult, but he doesn’t ask us to do them alone. God offers us his resources, just as he did to Moses. We should not hide behind our inadequacies, as Moses did, but look beyond ourselves to the great resources available. Then we can allow God to use our unique contributions.

Story time is one of the best times of the day. We are transported to magical places. We meet extraordinary people and see things we would never come across on a typical day. Stories make time enchanting when reality is boring. You need to get someone to brush teeth? Tell a story. The wait in the doctor’s office is hours long? Tell a story. The car ride isn’t ending? Tell a story.

Our family’s favourite source of stories was Tanach (the Jewish Bible). Between the angels, the giants, the talking snakes and the trickery, what could be more exciting?

Take this week’s Torah reading. Our heroes are Moses and Aaron, two poor brothers, who were on a quest to free a nation of slaves. The downtrodden slaves were in the grasp of…

Thoughts on Passover by Shari Motro

Read metaphorically, the Exodus story—which Jews will retell during the upcoming Passover holiday—offers some clues to answering this most universal of questions.

Moses is born a Hebrew slave, but he is raised in Pharaoh’s palace. The setup is an exaggerated version of something familiar to many—to anyone who has wondered whether some cosmic accident landed her with the wrong family; anyone who has felt uncomfortable about the privileges she accrued by virtue of her birth; anyone who at some point experienced her parents as oppressive or narrow. Egypt, in Hebrew, means “narrow place.”

Moses’ initial reaction is the classic teenage rebellion—it’s rash, it’s risky, and it gets him into deep trouble. After witnessing an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave, Moses kills the Egyptian, buries him in the sand, and runs. He tries to disappear, to start over. In Midian, Moses marries a local and has a son who he names Gershom, Stranger (“For I was a stranger in a strange land,” he says).

But running away doesn’t work. At some point, those of us who leave unfinished business behind are called to return. For Moses, the call starts as a fire, a fire that burns but doesn’t consume. The burning bush is a fire that can be neither put out nor ignored.

Moses goes home to face the conflict he ran from. His task is to negotiate, to mediate between the slaves and Pharaoh, both of whom symbolize aspects of every human soul. He will eventually leave again, but in a different way. Leaving home in peace requires acknowledging the naysaying voice within. Moses can’t leave Egypt for good until his ability to dream his own future overwhelms his fear, until he stands before Pharaoh and speaks his truth.

Yes, I killed the Egyptian.

Yes, I’ve turned my back on you. Look, I’m not you. I’m a different person.

Yes, I want to leave.

Will you let me go?

Pharaoh says no, as parents do. Sometimes parents say no even when they know that eventually they will relent, that everybody will be better off when they do. Nevertheless, some inexplicable force compels them to dig in their heels, to wield their power while they still have it.

Of course, Pharaoh is an extreme example. This is the point of archetypal myths: they use extremes to illustrate lessons that apply to us all. Pharaoh symbolizes attachment—the eminently human tendency to resist change. The plagues are the suffering that results from attachment. Each plague is a message from Pharaoh’s higher self, like a body that keeps getting sick until you listen to it.

For Moses, the message of the plagues may be this: Your blossoming into your most radiant self is not the true cause of suffering—Pharaoh’s suffering, your own suffering, anybody’s. The cause of suffering is resistance.

After the tenth and most devastating plague—the death of the firstborn—Pharaoh finally relents, and the Israelites leave “in haste.” They leave so quickly they can’t wait for their bread to rise; this is why we eat unleavened bread on Passover. What’s the message here?

When the force holding you back finally relents—go. GO. Don’t be scared; don’t feel guilty; don’t hang around saying long goodbyes. It’s time.

And if Pharaoh follows at your heels and drowns in the pursuit, don’t rejoice. According to one interpretation, this is what God said to the angels who sang as the Egyptian chariots were swallowed by the sea:

Anyone who has succeeded in breaking free knows this tension well. Our glee is tinged with something else, with the sinking recognition that our naysayers’ grief is our grief. And… surviving requires not allowing ourselves to drown in their tears. Surviving is rejoicing despite their pain.

Somehow, on the other side of it all, there is a place where all is forgiven, where the narrowness of our birth canal—every trauma, every grief—becomes a source of love and gratitude, where zero-sum gives way to abundance, where Pharaoh and Moses are one.

I’ve seen only glimpses of this place. For me, this is the Promised Land.

Preparing for Passover: Six Ways to Prepare (coffeeshoprabbi.com)
Traditionally, Jews spend the month after Purim preparing for Passover. A lot of the holiday is in the preparation: the seder and the week that follows are the fruit of what we’ve put in the month before. I thought it might be helpful to look at the various ways we prepare for Passover. If this is your first year observing Passover, don’t try to do everything at once. Choose one or two, and get all that you can out of them.
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Passover is the festival of telling the story about “deliverance from Egypt.” If you are truly to experience deliverance, it helps to notice from what you need deliverance. Spend some time, between now and Passover, thinking about your own personal Egypt(s). The name for Egypt in Hebrew is “Mitzrayim,” which also means “a narrow place, a tight spot.” Questions to ask myself: Where in my life am I stuck? To what am I a slave? In what parts of my life am I Pharaoh? Do I depend on the slavery of others? What would freedom look like, in any of these cases? What would freedom cost? What is freedom worth?

Who Would You Rather Listen To? (spinningrabbi.com)
One of those valuable lessons of this remembering, is this – G-d freed the Jews so that they were no longer physical slaves, yet they were still slaves. Now they were their own Pharaoh and the slavery was of the self-imposed spiritual and emotional variety. Once physically free, it was up to them to free themselves spiritually and emotionally.This lesson applies to all people who are blessed to live in freedom today. This means that the only one who can free you now, is you. It’s up to you to free yourself from your personal Egypt.

Christian Bale as Moses in ‘Exodus’: First Look (PHOTO) (news.moviefone.com)Empire has our first look at Ridley Scott’s “Exodus,” and judging by the impressive construction going on behind Christian Bale‘s Moses, this Biblical tale should be epic indeed.The film follows the story of Moses, abandoned as a baby and adopted by Egyptian royalty, only to hear the voice of God as he grows older and ultimately lead the Israelite slaves into the promised land. In this image, Moses witnesses the suffering of his people at the hands of the Pharaoh.

Pharaoh’s Overthrow (brakeman1.com)
There were six hundred thousand men, besides women and children. God caused a pillar of cloud to go before them in the daytime, to show them the way they were to take, and at night He led them by a pillar of fire.After the children of Israel had left Egypt, Pharaoh, though his kingdom had been nearly destroyed for his disobedience to God, was angry with himself for having let them go. So he gathered together a great army, and pursued them to where they were encamped, in the wilderness by the Red Sea.

The Ancient Egyptians Worshiped Sheep (menashedovid1.wordpress.com)> The Ancient Egyptians Worshiped Sheep
the Torah tells us, God commanded the Israelites to take a lamb or a kid for each household. They were to hold it for four days, from the tenth until the fourteenth of the first month, and slaughter it on the fourteenth. This was done in Egypt, despite the Egyptians’ religious beliefs. To this day Jews commemorate this event, calling the Sabbath preceding Passover Shabbat Hagadol…

Now Faith Is (faithrises.com)
Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest He that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.

Max, Hannah and some frogs: Kids’ books bring new friends (jta.org)
Frolicking frogs and magical matzah balls are featured in this season’s crop of new Passover books for children that are sure to engage, inform, entertain and inspire.David Adler, author of the hugely popular early reader “Cam Jansen” series, offers “The Story of Passover.” Adler is highly acclaimed for his straightforward narrative style in non-fiction books, including dozens on Jewish holidays.He says he likes to appeal to readers of any Jewish background, whether from traditional, observant Jewish families or those who are interested in learning about Passover.

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Recent Posts on the other Lifestyle Magazine: Stepping Toes

Many who call themselves Christian do like to follow Augustine, even more than Christ. they do agree with him that reading the Bible is no longer necessary once God had fully cultivated faith, hope, and love in us (On Christian Doctrine, 1.39). In other words, according to them, once we are mature in Christ, the […]

Pew Research Center asked thousands of Americans where they find meaning in life. Their responses were rich, thoughtful and varied. Here are just a few examples of what they told us… “That’s a gosh darn big question for a survey like this, I’m used to the check boxes. I find meaning in career, family, spiritual […]

GOD DESIGNED HUMAN NATURE FOR LOVE By Jesse Morrell Everything God created has a function and a design. God created human nature. Therefore, human nature has a proper function and a design. What is the proper function that human nature was designed by God for? “For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by […]

President Trump, long a trafficker in anti-Semitic stereotypes, treated American Jews to a classic anti-Semitic canard Tuesday afternoon. When asked about two Congresswomen, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, who had been barred from Israel at Trump’s own behest, he broke out an oldie but a goodie from the closet of anti-Semitic tropes. “Any Jewish people […]

There are two kinds of knowing – experience and understanding – and the confusion between them is the cause of all sorts of trouble for any thinking person – which is all of us. Experience is the knowing of things. It is exactly what appears to our senses precisely as it is without us doing […]

Thoughts by and a Look at the world by Marcus Ampe on: Marcus Ampe's Space

Great-Britain has its own Trump, who likes to put the whole country at his hands and the European Union at his feet. Boris Johnson is fully aware that he does not have the backing of the House of Commons. Like with so many other matters, he tried to ignore it. Because he felt it would […]

Seventy-six years have passed, but few people have ever heard of Mann, even though she could easily have become a hero and a symbol. Perhaps her story sounds too far-fetched; perhaps it was simply shunted aside by the many other stories of heroism and horror in the Holocaust. But on September 1, the 80th anniversary […]

“Without a single change in the law by Congress, the Trump public charge rules mean many more U.S. citizens are being and will be denied the opportunity to live together in the U.S. with their spouses, children, and parents,” said Ur Jaddou, a former Citizenship and Immigration Services chief counsel and now director of the […]

Originally posted on Croatia, the War, and the Future: Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, President of Croatia (L)Ivan Penava, Mayor of Vukovar (R)Photo: uredpredsjednice.hr When the Constitutional Court of Croatia (of any country) evidently and blatantly misses the beat of its own country’s heart (and reason for existence – in the case of Croatia that reason is victory…

Marianne Thyssen, the Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility, said: In 2018, we witnessed positive developments in the European economy, labour markets and society. For the sixth consecutive year, the EU’s ambitious agenda for jobs, growth and investment boosted a robust and job-rich recovery. an dcontinued The Employment and Social Developments in […]

The Commission has published the 2019 edition of its yearly Employment and Social Developments in Europe (ESDE) review, this time dedicated to the theme of sustainability. The 2019 report shows that tackling climate change and preserving growth go hand in hand. It sets out a number of policy options that are able to preserve the […]

We sincerely should make some more work to have the young people come to see how it comes we may live in a peaceful Western Europe for nearly 75 years. Some years ago students still had separate classes of geography and history, but then in several countries they were joined in one hour per week […]

Recent Posts: Belgian Ecclesia Brussel - Leuven

We can only hope to get our minds under the influence of the truth,‭ ‬by steeping our minds in it,‭ ‬and this is only to be done by laying it down for ourselves as a rule to read it continually,‭ ‬day by day.‭ ‬If we do that,‭ ‬then we shall get at the result‭; ‬the […]

• Nominal Friends of the Truth Take first the individual who simply gives in his adhesion to the truth in its doctrinal form:‭ ‬he has come to the conclusion that the popular doctrines are fables,‭ ‬and the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ,‭ ‬are the truth‭; ‬but it is […]

The beginning and ending of an exhortation by Brother John Woodward on 9/8/2019 at the Shenandoah Valley Virginia McInturff Christadelphian Meeting. “Good morning . What a great blessing we have to be here this morning, to know our God, to have an understanding of His Word and to believe in the things that he has […]

Continued from: • Nominal Friends of the Truth • Strangers and Pilgrims Now what I mean to say is this,‭ ‬that if you yourself are thoroughly engrossed with the truth – if you are one of those strangers and pilgrims who feel,‭ ‬mournfully,‭ ‬that you have here no continuing city,‭ ‬but look for one to come […]

Recent Posts by: Messiah For All

In Scripture, all things are directed towards a man who was a servant of servants, in whom people should come to have faith. First we saw the connection with Eve and her seed, and in this article you may see the connection with Abraham.

Already in the Old Testament we find the focus on a son of man who is called the son of God, who shall be the most pure set apart (holy) servant of God who was been told about in the Garden of Eden, to be the one bruised.

Many Old Testament writers wrote about the prophet to come, about whom is spoke in the book of Moses and who shall be the special “Seed of a woman” given by God and who will bruise Satan’s head whilst his heel would be bruised with nails on the wooden stake.

Jewish and Christian literature since the time of Yeshua or Jeshua have pointed to Genesis 3:15 as the first reference to the Messiah in the Torah. Genesis 3:15 NHEBJE I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will bruise your head, and you will bruise his […]

The first human beings had chosen to go their own path. As any good father would do when his children had done something wrong, God punished them. But as a loving Father He in His great mercy promised for a solution and preserved David’s bloodline and the Messianic promise. Mankind had chosen Yet, we each […]

Recent Posts: Belgian Biblestudents - Belgische Bijbelstudenten

The Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible created by Jews seeking a place of legitimacy for diaspora Jewishness and faith among the traditions of Hellenistic culture, was a monumental religious and cultural achievement. This Greek Old Testament, in its original form and revised versions, provided the scriptural basis for Judaism in the Greek-speaking diaspora, enabled the emergence and […]

Several times Jesus got tested. The Pharisees loved to tempt him to give the wrong answers or to give them something to show that he was not a real rebbe or master rabbi, not having enough knowledge of Scriptures. Jesus answered the Pharisees and Sadducees by going on with his ministry as it happened more, […]

II —The Ordeal of questions. {#Mt 22:15-46 } The open challenge has failed; but more subtle weapons may succeed. The Pharisees have found it of no avail to confront their enemy; but they may still be able to entangle Him. They will at all events try. They will spring upon Him some hard questions, of such […]

The Marriage Feast. {#Mt 22:1-14 } The manner in which this third parable is introduced leaves room for doubt whether it was spoken in immediate connection with the two preceding. The use of the word “answered” (ver. 1) would rather suggest the idea that some conversation not reported had intervened. But though it does not form […]

“41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 “What do you think about the Christ? {Or Messiah } Whose son is he?” “The son of David,” they replied. 43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says, 44 “‘The […]

Recent Posts by bible Scholars: Bijbelvorser = Bible Researcher

DOES THE “I AM” STATEMENT OF JESUS IN JOHN 8:58 PROVE THAT HE IS GOD? IS HE THE GOD WHO SPOKE IN EXODUS 3:14? — Bro. Joe Ventilacion 🇮🇹 Defenders of Christ-is-God theology cite John 8:58 as one of their biblical bases in proving their belief that Jesus Christ is God. Let’s take a look […]

IS CHRIST GOD BECAUSE HE SAID THAT “I AND THE FATHER ARE ONE” IN JOHN 10:30? — Bro. Joe Ventilacion 🇮🇹 There are some people who believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is God because he said in John 10:30 that “I and the Father are one.” Although the verse does not say that Jesus […]

In the time of Paul, Corinth was a busy Roman trading city on the narrow strip of land between the Ionian Sea and the Aegian Sea.
During his eighteen months in Corinth (in 51-52 C.E.), Paul Had got a fair impression of the attitude of the Corinthians.

After the fall of Jerusalem Emperor Titus returned to Rome and received a triumphant welcome. At the same time, the Romans began to restore order in Judaea by putting down any final resistance and regaining control of the last few strongholds held by Zealots. The last and longest of these final encounters was the Siege […]

Recent Posts at: Relating to God

First of all to come to a good relationship with some one, one has to talk with that person and has to listen to what that person has to tell. God talks to the people by the way of His Word, presented to mankind by the many Bible translations, so that most people can read […]

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In the previous writings we saw that the Divine Creator gave His Word to the world so that people could come to know Him. The Bible is a gift from God. It gives us information that we can’t find anywhere else. For example, it tells us that God created the heavens, the earth, and the […]

The surest way of ensuring our happiness and success in life is by devoting ourselves wholeheartedly to learning what God expects of us (by studying His Torah), by addressing our prayers directly to Him, and by fulfilling His will.

When having many questions an interesting blog to look at: their old and more recent Posts: Questiontime - Vragenuurtje

The intention of this site was to be able to find answers to some serious questions and to know what others thought about it. But there were no answers from others and silence continued to form the fog.

In this world we shall become even more confronted by people, be them politicians or church-leaders who would love to tell us than matters or different than we see it. Many of them will give the lie to make sure they would be more popular and receive more power. We must know that we shall […]

In the capitalist countries money often receives the first place of importance and many forget that love for each other is so much more a valuable asset for having a better life.
Several churches want to be popular and promise their followers excellent health with a lot of wealth, as long as they contribute richly to the church.
Abundance is on the inside. It’s a feeling first, an amount second.

Let us take further note of the many bible verses which can give us a clearer view of the personality of our all-powerful, all-knowing Divine Creator, the Only One True God, Jehovah. first of all we should know He is the Most Wise and Al-Powerful god Who can give man wisdom.

Previously we looked at the exclusivity of the Most High Supreme Spirit Being Who is the Singular Jehovah God. In this article we continue to look at Him Who si one (and not two or three) and notice some special features that make This Unique God so special.

Recent Posts at: SUCCESS INSPIRERS' WORLD

I as a person am more than the sum of my limitations. Blindness is a part of me, but it isn't what makes me who I am. Welcome to my first video where I begin branching out and talking about aspects of me and my life that aren't solely related to my disability. Please like, [...]